One might wonder how it is to be in a long distance relationship. A long distance of 11000km that is. I am not talking about a duration of a week or two, but one of almost 2,5 years, or 911 days, which it will be on the August of 15th.
The main ingredients
I have some tips and tricks for those who are curious about it. This is only from my point of view so it might be different for anyone else of course.
- Keep it simple
Everyone is insecure about something wether it’s physically, mentally, skillwise or careerwise. People tend to choose their partner based on their status, achievement or looks.
It might be good enough for people to choose their partner on that criteria but keep in mind that life changes constantly. That girl might not be pretty forever, that career he has might go downhill. Things can make a u-turn and if you are with someone based on the criteria I mentioned, the relationship may end up quite disastrous.
I’d say, choose someone who makes you forget about your troubles with their silly jokes, talks about stargazing, horrible dancing or even weird way of running. Choose someone who you can get along with character wise. Beauty on the outside fades but the beauty of the soul remains.
- Find your love
Everybody has the difficult task of finding a partner who they will be together with for 50+ years. That is a very long time so it might as well be with someone you truly love otherwise it will feel like the longest trainride of your life.
This is why I’d say it is important to be with that one person you truly love no matter the differences and odds. There are many things in life which will make you sad. Being with the right person makes it so much easier to get through those bad days and improve the quality of life.
- Falling in love over and over
This is about falling in love with the same person multiple times. You know you have the right partner if he/she makes you fall in love over and over with him/her. It can be due to the small things that have huge impact. Being there when your partner needs you, asking how his/her day was, supporting eachother with the many goals in life.
Love is a team game and a well oiled team gets further than the rest.
- Once in a lifetime
As long as there are single people, there will be others who are attracted to you. Some don’t event care if you or them are in a relationship already. The truth is that there is always someone who is more attractive, prettier, stronger, smarter out there. It might be difficult for some to stay with what you have if there is something different out there. Some people tend to be hopping from one partner to another but that would mean there is no love involved.
If you have found someone you truly love, it’s better to stick with her in the good and bad days. Especially if she loves you back just as much. That kind of love is something that comes only once in a lifetime if you’re lucky so be aware of what you’ve got.
- Is it worth the wait?
I see my girlfriend about 3 weeks a year. During those 3 weeks life seems to pass by so fast. As they say, time flies when you’re having fun. I surely am having fun by just doing simple stuff like cooking or strolling around. The feeling I have being with her is beyond compare. We grew up in different places but somehow we think alike about many many things. Everything just flows easily like water.
The feeling of finally seeing her again after the long wait is indescribable. The times you are together makes up the time you are apart. So yes, if you truly, genuinely love someone, it is defnitely worth the wait.
- Me & my girlfriend
Whenever I hear that she is a bit sad or had a bad day, I feel like I need to cheer her up. I have my own stuff going on, such as work, but hearing her smile is more important to me. Unfortunately there are only limited ways to make one smile when there is such a huge distance in between, but taking a break just to be there for her helps a lot.
In short…
Don’t overthink but keep it simple, be supportive, make her smile, show some love, make life more beautiful… She is worth it.
Zolang Ik Jou Heb (Radio Snippet)
Sam Feldt & De Hofnar feat. Henk Westbroek
Lyrics (Dutch):
zolang ik jou... bij me heb
zolang ik jou... bij me heb
zolang ik jou... bij me heb
zolang ik jou... bij me heb
drink ik uit een pure waterbron
en slaap onder een deken van geluk
jij bent het goudste zonlicht
een volmaakt helder kristal
zo schitterend dat het licht ervan
me soms dreigt te verblinden
zolang ik jou... bij me heb
zolang ik jou... bij me heb
zolang ik jou... bij me heb
zolang ik jou... bij me heb
heb ik de volmaakte liefde lief
jij bent het goudste zonlicht
een volmaakt helder kristal
zo schitterend dat het licht ervan
me soms dreigt te verblinden
zolang ik jou... (zolang ik jou...)
zolang ik jou... (zolang ik jou...)
drink ik uit een pure waterbron
en slaap onder een deken van geluk
jij bent het goudste zonlicht
een volmaakt helder kristal
zo schitterend dat het licht ervan
me soms dreigt te verblinden
zolang ik jou... bij me heb
heb ik jou.. bij me heb
zolang ik jou... bij me heb
heb ik de volmaakte liefde lief
Lyrics (translated into English):
as long as I have you... with me
as long as I have you... with me
as long as I have you... with me
as long as I have you... with me
i drink from a pure watersource
and sleep under a blanket of happiness
you are the most golden sunlight
a perfect clear crystal
so beautiful that the light from it
is sometimes blinding me
as long as I have you... with me
as long as I have you... with me
as long as I have you... with me
as long as I have you... with me
i love the perfect love
you are the most golden sunlight
a perfect clear crystal
so beautiful that the light from it
is sometimes blinding me
as long as I have you... (as long as I have you...)
as long as I have you... (as long as I have you...)
i drink from a pure watersource
and sleep under a blanket of happiness
you are the most golden sunlight
a perfect clear crystal
so beautiful that the light from it
is sometimes blinding me
as long as I have you... with me
i have you... with me
as long as I have you... with me
i love the perfect love
[Verse 1 - Cise Starr]
Light as a feather when I'm floating through
Reading through the daily news
Measuring the hurt within the golden rule
Centimetres of ether, I'm heating the speaker
Motivational teacher with words that burn people
Seeing the headlines lined with discord
It's either genocide or the planet in uproar
Never good, but rules of paradise are never nice
The best laid plans of Mice and Men are never right
I'm just a Vagabond with Flowers for Algernon
The Average Joe who knows what the fuck is going on
It's the hope of my thoughts that I travel upon
Fly like an arrow of God until I'm gone, so I'm
[Hook - Cise Starr]
Driftin' away like a feather in air
Letting my words take me away from the hurt and despair
So I'm keepin' it vertical forever elevator
Riding the escalator to the something that is greater, so I'm
Driftin' away like a feather in air
Letting my soul take me away from the hurt and despair
So I'm keepin' it vertical forever elevator
Riding the escalator to the something that is greater
[Verse 2 - Akin]
Taking chances, word tap dancing with wolves
In an ice arena out there, deep in the woods of
Arizona, the sun be high, life's ironic
Ain't trying to be Dalí when I write
Surreal life I paint it
Vivid, habitat crazy insane
Watch the propaganda six o'clock that are saying
Cultures clash, for black folk and white trash
They revel in the cyberspace that might crash, dash
To millennium a million miles of runnin'
At the speed of now back, don´t return gunnin'
Rambo style, gung ho child gunnin'
Ammo blao two times loud stunnin'
Stunnin', when I hit ya, lift you off the Earth like
Ayo, take you right back to birth and
Niggas wonder why, they might wonder why
This shit might happen but it does, they go
[Hook]
Driftin' away like a feather in air
Letting my words take me away from the hurt and despair
So I'm keepin' it vertical forever elevator
Riding the escalator to the something that is greater, so I'm
Driftin' away like a feather in air
Letting my soul take me away from the hurt and despair
So I'm keepin' it vertical forever elevator
Riding the escalator to the something that is greater
[Verse 3 - Cise Starr]
Treat you better than me, cause that's the heavenly key
To unlock the inner strength where my essence will be
It's the knowledge of self, understanding of the things around me
That becomes the wisdom that I need
Living this life to the best of my ability
Channelling energy to my thoughts into your symmetry
Remember me, because my clothes remain gold
I got the gift of gab like them pimps in Kangol
It never ends, I keep it ruling like a cypher
The first caveman bringing fire
Innovatin' and higher; to blast mistakes I raise the stakes
It's double or nothing in this vaccuumless space
I will, survive, divine the time to cry
Fuck a hold or hide, I'm alive with pride
And I drove the Chevy to the Levy
But the Levy was dry, singing "This will be the day that I die"
Stereocase - Kau Segalanya
Indonesia has some really awesome Indie bands. It takes time to find them but once you do... you don't want anything else. Stereocase is definitely among my favorite ones!
About a girl... in Bandung (2014) - Part I
Well...this is gonna be a long one. Previously (a year ago) I had posted about the rendezvous to England and that was a 3 day holiday, this one is a 28 day holiday. This will be a much longer than a 2 part post that's for sure.
So, I went to Bandung in the beginning of the year. I was there from 13th of January until the 8th of February. It's no secret what my reason for going there was... to see Yute. I have never had so many days together with her so this seems like a great way to start the year. Last year we were only 5 days together. It was my goal to improve it this year and I did just that.
Bandung 2014 flight schedule
I also never been on such a far away trip on my own before. I have visited many countries but going to a country so far away with such a different culture and language is a challenge itself. Luckily there were people who I could communicate with and show me the ins and outs of Indonesia.
12th of January - Amsterdam
I woke up in the morning thinking what I should have for breakfast. As I looked toward the wall in front of me, I saw my suitcase and backpack which were already filled with the stuff needed for my month long trip. I managed to pack my stuff the day before so I can relax on the day I will leave. My flight would leave at 14:40 from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. That's one hour and a half away from Eindhoven, if you go by car that is. We decided to leave on 08:00 so we would have lots of time to check in and take just take our time on the airport.
But before we left to the airport I decided to check if I packed everything. I always make a list to make it easier for myself. Half of the suitcase was filled with souvenirs anyway and it would be a shame if I forgot even one piece of souvenir. Once that was done I put everything in the car and we went on our way.
Schiphol Airport in the morning
The feeling of actually knowing to have a meetup with someone you haven't seen for such a long time is hard to explain. As I was sitting in the backseat of the car, I was thinking about all the things we talked about. We did a lot of talking... almost daily. I have communicated a lot with Yute via mails, messengers, sms and many more ways for 11 months and we were one day away to seeing eachother again. There won't be a need for any mails for a month. It's such a weird feeling to know that we will finally see eachother again face-to-face. One of the things that I looked forward to was to have conversations with her. It's always interesting to have them with her.
An hour and a half have passed and we arrived at the airport. I got my stuff and we were on our way to the check-in desk. We were a bit early as we predicted because we had to wait for an hour for the check-in desk to open. There was a nice looking café just a couple of meters away from the check-in and it seems like a good place to have a drink while we wait. I was still a bit sleepy but couldn't help to take a couple of pictures while we were waiting. There weren't many people around that time so I had the opportunity to photograph the airport a bit.
Let the waiting begin
Suddenly I heard that the check-in desk would open so it was time for me to go. I got my backpack and suitcase, checked in and went off to the gate. It was a bit of walking to the gate because the airport is quite big. But I was in no rush and looked at the planes outside while I was walking.
A blue sky and planes
Previously I had travelled with KLM, which is a Dutch airline, but they are quite expensive and the transit flight will be in Kuala Lumpur so you had 13+ hours of flying before you could walk around a bit. This time I booked a flight with Emirates. They are cheaper and the transit flight will be in Dubai, around halfway to Jakarta and 7+ hours before being able to walk on solid ground. So Emirates was the way to go for me.
Fly Emirates
I arrived at the gate and had to wait again for the boarding announcement. There's a lot of waiting going on at an airport. I already knew that from my previous flight so I had a book with me to kill time. As I was reading I heard the announcement to board the plane.
Off I went to enter the plane and find my seat. I sat next to the window but I couldn't see much outside except for the wings of the plane. I noticed that the 2 seats next to me were empty but I figured that the people haven't entered the plane yet. But then I heard the captain speaking, he was telling us that we were leaving. So that means I have 3 seats for myself! This was pretty awesome. Let's just say I was about to have the most comfortable flight ever.
All for me
The plane was headed to Dubai and there wasn't anything going on worth mentioning. When we arrived in Dubai I had to catch my transit flight. It's basically the same procedure as in Holland. Go through baggage check, go to the gate and wait for the boarding time. I had to wait 4 hours for the boarding time and that is such a drag. There was a big clock nearby the gate and I looked at it all the time. Time really went so slow there but I felt something. It was the distance which was between me and Yute. We had 11000+ km between us for such a long time and it started to dissappear. I was only half excited because my other half was asleep. I couldn't wait for the boarding time to get some sleep.
The airport in Dubai is basically the same as any other airport. There were lots of expensive stores and lots of sleepy people. I like to talk with people but since I can't talk Arabic, I refrained from it.
A selfie in Dubai with a lady behind me wanting to join the action.
The time came to board and I was hoping to have 3 seats for myself again but that wasn't the case. An elderly man and woman were sitting next to me. They were with a group from Indonesia who travelled to the Middle-East. I tried to talk with them a bit but my Bahasa Indonesia is quite rusty so I just went to sleep.
13th of January - Jakarta
There was a bright light that woke me up. It was the sunshine coming from outside. The weather looked lovely and I knew where I was: Indonesia. There was just a couple of minutes left before I could step on that same ground I was a year ago. I bucklet my seatbelt and was so excited to finally be in Indonesia again. I wondered how everyone was doing during my absence. But there was a problem going on with the landing because the plane kept circling above the airport. Maybe the landing pad wasn't clear but the captain didn't inform us so nobody knew what was going on. There was a sense of nervousness among the people because the plane kept on turning and turning. Finally after an hour of circling around we strated to descend. I felt a bit agitated because of the circling around and that I let people wait for me for over an hour.
Soekarno-Hatta Airport
We finally landed and I ran towards the visa desk. There was a long line there and I had to wait a long time. I was losing my patience a bit because it just took too long for my taste. When I got the visa I proceeded to the luggage belt and saw that my suitcase wasn't there yet. The time I waited at the visa desk didn't really matter because my suitcase hasn't arrived yet anyway. But I waited only about 10minutes before I saw my suitcase and immediatly took it and went out.
I was looking around if I could find my brothers or Yute. They are the ones who would pick me up from the airport. The first person I saw was one of my brothers. I greeted him and asked where my other brother and Yute were. He told me they went to the left so I was headed that way. There I met my other brother and I was so happy to see him that I actually tripped him, but he was fine. So there was one more person to look for...
Three of five brothers
Rendezvous
My brothers told me that Yute was looking for me as well so we went in different directions. I was walking around everywhere for about 5 minutes. The fact that I would meet Yute again any minute now made me quite excited.
I was looking around on the first floor and went outside. Somehow I had the feeling I should look on the left side and there she was... on the 2nd floor. It felt like a bad soap opera because we finally saw eachother but couldn't get to eachother. We had to wait just a bit more because she had to go down to the first floor. So I stood there for a minute and saw her walking towards me. I greeted and hugged her. We were finally together again.
The first picture of many that I took of Yute after 11 months
We still had some travelling to do towards Bandung. There were some buses who drive to Bandung so me, my brothers and Yute stepped into the buses and went our way to Bandung.
Kalijati Antapani
It was a couple of hours driving to Bandung and I talked with Yute for a bit. I still felt so sleepy because of the flight so I took a little nap. We would have a month to talk to each other in person but we both needed some rest for now.
A couple hours later we arrived at a bus stop in Bandung. My brother's aquaintance would pick us up and drive us home. We finally got to my brother's house and I took my luggage with me. Yute's house was across my brother's house so she walked with us. Before I entered my brother's house to get some sleep, I wished Yute a good evening and told her it was good to see her again. Someone from the house across and Yute's dad came out so I said goodevening to them as well. The neighbourhood already knew me a bit from the previous time I stayed there.
So there was one more thing to do before Yute and I could hang out again... a good night of sleep.
Value family relations much more than material possessions, because – in the end – relationships will always be there for you to comfort you in your lowest times.
This is quite an inspirational song about having regrets and wishing for a better life but forgetting what's even more important: loving oneself and being happy for the things that you do have.
K'naan was born in what is considered one of the most dangerous places to be on earth; Mogadishu, Somalia. He is a bit of an activist so in general his music is about politics, human rights, wars, overcoming struggles and other similar subjects.
The Somalian part of the song goes like this:
Hilila wa la halle, qabiilkii waa la daayay
- Tribalism has been abandoned.
Dagaal la daa, rafaad la daa
- War has been abandoned, Struggle has been abandoned.
Jaceeylkiiyaa waa la raayay
- Love (social harmony) upended it (tribalism, war, struggle).
Exactly 6 months ago, the 15th of February, Yute was in London. She went there with a group from Indonesia to be part of various conferences and talks. London is very close to The Netherlands so I told her that I'm planning to go there for a weekend. That way I can see her and support her with her activities as well. She was quite surprised and happy to hear that I would do something like that for her. I had to think about the fun time we had in Bandung and London seems like an interesting destination for us to meet.
Representing Indonesia in London
Friday 15th - Amsterdam to London
It was Friday, the last working day of the week and time seemed to go so slow. I was looking forward to go to Amsterdam and take the plane to London where I would see Yute again. For days I had planned a sightseeing route through London and could not wait to discover it with her. I was texting and mailing her how she's doing in London and about my arrival time at Heathrow. Time couldn't go fast enough for me.
After a loooooonng day at work it was time to catch my flight. I immediatly went on my way to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. It's an hour and a half long drive and my mind was already in London. I have been in there before but that was with a schooltrip, this time it's for a girl.
Taking my very cheap camera to an adventure in London
Finally I arrived at the airport, checked in and waited for the time to fly. I noticed that I had much more luggage with me than the other travellers because of my camera equipment. Luckily the guys at the customs didn't make too much of hassle about it and let me through.
It was time to board the plane. I took my luggage and went to my seat. Next to me there was a guy reading a book. I couldn't do anything but look out the window and think about the upcoming weekend. The flight would take off any minute and I decided to kill time by listening to music.
Arriving in London at 21:30 o'clock
After a while there was an announcement that we would be landing soon. I have been in quite some flights before so I wasn't scared of flying but I had never been so exited to land to my destination as that moment. The plane landed safely and I stepped out into the place famous for their fish and chips; London, England.
"Banyak Bule di London dong!"
As soon as I left the gate I was looking around to see if Yute was there already but I couldn't spot her. There was a small coffee shop at Heathrow Airport and I decided to get myself a nice hot chocolate milk. It was cold so any hot drink was very welcome.
I took the drink and wanted to sit at a table but suddenly my cup slipped from my hands and poured hot chocolate milk all over me. Apparently the lid wasn't closed properly and that caused the slip. I couldn't believe that just happened, Yute could arrive anytime and I thought this is not really a nice way to show myself to her. I cleaned up myself but there were still chocolate milk stains everywhere.
Rendezvous
As I was cleaning myself, Yute appeared and she came walking towards me. We greeted and she noticed the milk but it didn't bother her so much. I was a bit relieved when she said that. We didn't talk a lot at the airport because it was getting late. So we went to the hotel and Yute would show me the way. Suddenly she became a London tourguide.
The East, the West and the sunlight
We took the metro which would stop nearby the hotel. From the subway station it was just a couple minutes walking. We arrived at the hotel, checked in and went upstairs. She also has a room a couple of floors higher, sharing it with a couple of people who would also attend various conferences.
We went to my room and we checked out how it looked like. The first thing I noticed is that there were two tv's and one remote. This was really confusing because if you turn on one tv, the other one would go on as well. So you had to watch two channels at the same time. It didn't work so well so I turned it off to talk a bit with Yute. That's who I came for in the first place.
The Planning & The Teddy Bear
She arrived in London the day before and told me all about it. Besides that she also let me know about the things she has to do the upcoming days. There would be a conference the next day (Saturday) but the day after she would have a bit of free time to walk through London for a bit. I told her about my planning and that I had a route planned out so maybe we could try that out.
I brought a couple of presents from The Netherlands for her. I had tulips seeds, a 'delfs blauw' windmill and something custom made from myself; a teddybear wearing a shirt with my photo on it. I knew it would be her birthday soon so that bear was an early birthday present. I gave it to her and congratulated her there because I wouldn't be in Indonesia for her real birthday.
The teddybear is safely in Bandung
We were talking a lot and I started to notice that she became a bit sleepy. I told her it's better for her to get some sleep because there were many thing to do the day after. She was on her way to her room but before she left she told me that she has to go to the conference at 9AM so I suggested to have breakfast around a half an hour before.
Saturday 16th - Conference Business
It was 8:30 in the morning and I heard someone knocking on my door. I opened it to see Yute standing there asking me if I'm ready to have some breakfast. I just had to get my camera, gloves, hat and I was set. As we were having breakfast we talked about the conference.
It would be like a simulation of a real conference. There would be people from all over the world who represent a certain country, Yute would represent Rwanda, and they would talk to each other about various subject, which were: nuclear energy and drones.
The Rwanda representative and her supporter
It was 8:45 and we were headed to the conference building. It was only 5 minutes walking so we could take our time. Once we were there, everyone had to go to their conference room. There were a lot of people and conferences so we had to check where Yute was supposed to go. She was heading to a room and I followed her into it.
As we entered there was someone who was yelling out names and helping people to sit on their place. The places were in order of the countries' name. The people representing countries with an 'A' would sit in front and 'Z's would be more in the middle.
I sat myself at the back of the room and observed as the conference was starting.
A room filled with suits
As I was sitting there in the back, I came up with a little game called; 'spot the Dutch person'. Dutch people have a funny English accent so when they talk, I'll recognize it pretty fast.
As the conference was going on I noticed that Yute wasn't really saying much. I figured it's because she represents Rwanda and there's not much going on regarding nuclear energy or drones in that country. A subject like human rights would serve her better.
A discussion among suits
There was a short break and she came up to me. She actually told me the same thing what I was thinking; Rwanda doesn't get involved in nuclear subjects. It was a shame but I enjoyed the conference. I studied peoples' body language and the way they present themselves. It differs very much.
The morning and afternoon went pretty much like that. Conferences and breaks along the way.
Evening Meal
In the evening we went to the hotel again. Yute was quite tired and surely hungry so she went to get some rest while I talked to the guy standing at the counter. I asked them if there's some place nearby to get something halal to eat. That's when he pulled out a pizzeria menu and told me that they could order pizza and eat it in our room. That sounded good to me so I ordered a pizza, chicken wings and a Haagen Dasz icecream. They informed me it was possible to pay via pin.
I went upstairs and waited for the food to arrive. I talked with Yute about her conference day and told her that I guessed which person there was Dutch. She told me that the guy I mentioned was actually from Belguim where they also speak Dutch. I had a small victory for myself going on. I was also practicing a bit of Bahasa Indonesia with her. It's a good thing that I had a couple of language programs on my phone which surely would come handy when I go to Indonesia again.
England's world famous fish and chips
Not much later a different counter guy knocked on my door with the food. He said I had to pay in cash. I was a bit confused because the other guy told me I could pin. To avoid some weird situations I told him I would pin at a local ATM and get the cash for the pizza. He told me direction to the ATM and I ran over there. It was kinda weird because people were looking at me like; "Why is that guy jogging so late in the evening?". Anyway I got the cash, went back to pay for the food and finally could eat some tasty pizza.
After having the meal Yute went to her room. We planned to meet up around breakfast time the next day again.
Sunday 17th - London Exploration
On this day she would have free time to roam around in London and get some taste of English cuisine. After our breakfast we went exploration mode through London and took a lot of pictures.
Next stop...
The Kensington Gardens
Kensington Gardens was just a few minutes away from us so that's where we were heading first. It's quite a big park and there's lots of people there on a sunny day. There are lots of people jogging, playing with their dogs, picknicking, biking or just walking around like us.
Yute noticed that the trees at the park didn't have any leaves. I never payed attention to it because I'm used to seeing them like that. Then it occured to me that trees never lose their leaves in Indonesia because the weather stays the same all year round.
Trees without leaves
Trees with people
There were a lot of people at the Gardens who were speaking a different language than English. Somehow I had the feeling we weren't the only tourists in London. It made me realize how popular London is as a vacation spot.
As we were walking around we saw a big lake. We were heading to it to check it out from up close. Swans and ducks were swimming in the lake and some people gave them something to eat. There was a bench there and we sat on it to rest for a bit. Our feet were getting a bit tired from the walking.
Having a break
After a short break we continued walking through the Gardens. We saw many things and took many pictures. I'll just let them speak for themselves:
Lots of laughter and photos were present that day.
Yute with the Kensington Palace on the background
The other side of the park
Tunnel vision
"Hmm... could you put your hands up dek?"
"Thank you!"
Souvenir hunting
Once we were out of the Gardens we just walked to whatever location we stumbled upon. On the way we saw a lot of restaurant which serve fish and chips. "Might as well try some, we're not everyday in London" I said. So we entered a small diner and ordered for the both of us. Chips are very popular in The Netherlands so I was curious about the English flavour. I liked it very much, but the fish was quite dry. Not very tasty at all. Well, atleast my stomach was full and ready for another walk.
Lots of interesting art
And as they say... time flies when you're having fun. It was getting late and I had to catch my flight in a couple of hours. We went back to the hotel where she suddenly gave me a present. It was kripik from Bandung, she told me it was from her mom. I wasn't expecting that at all and I thank them for it. I was very happy with the present.
We exchanged the photos we took that weekend and talked a bit about our next destination. The future is an unpredictable thing so who knows where we could meet up next. That makes it quite interesting.
The way home
I took my bags and camera equipment and we were headed to the hotel counter to check out. I thanked the counter guy for the hospitality. It's a nice hotel, too bad for the weird tv's in my room though. Before I left I decided to buy an 'I Love London' umbrella. It would be very handy to have a nice umbrella in The Netherlands.
We walked out the hotel and to my surprise it was quite dark. The sun was already down. I remember it was very bright when we entered just a few hours ago. It's just a reminder how time flies. We went the same way we got there when I arrived so we took the subway to get to Heathrow Airport.
The ride on the subway felt so long. I didn't know what to say to Yute. Saying bye is always hard but somehow this time it was impossible. I noticed that she was the same, just quiet and enjoying being together. Sometimes there's no need for words.
My flight would leave at 20:15 and we were around an hour earlier there. I was a bit hungry so we went to sit at an airport restaurant called "Café Rouge". I was a bit sad because I had such a good time with Yute in London.
Yute has to stay a couple more days to attend conferences and what not. We talked about it and she'll keep me up-to-date with her activities. It's not only for the days in London, but when she's home in Bandung as well.
Taking pictures at the airports' Café Rouge
20:15 London - Amsterdam
It was time to catch my flight. I thanked her for the great time and wished her a lot of luck there. I told her that I'll make sure to contact her often when I'm home again. It's always nice to hear from her.
I was on my way to the gate but it was quite a hassle. It took more time as I expected. Especially at the scanners where I should take stuff like, coins, belt and any other metal items in a basket and let it roll into a scanner. Since it took so much time I was in a rush to take my stuff again and ran to the gate. It was an awkward run because my pants was almost falling off because I didn't put on my belt properly. Luckily it wasn't a far run but once I was at the gate. I saw it was closed.
I was scared that I was too late but the stewardess told me that they were waiting for me and I was able to board. There was someone who showed me the way to the plane in case I'll get lost. Somehow they were able to make it a long run because it's quite far to get from the gate to the plane. When I finally got to the plane there was a stewardess who told me that all the bag storage is full so I she took my luggage and put it in the crew's storage.
I turned my head to see the plane's isle and saw all the people's faces looking at me. I could hear them think: 'So that's the guy we had to wait for.' I walked to my seat which was just 10 seconds away but it was such a weird walk when everyone is watching.
Anyway, I finally got into my seat and we were ready to go. As the plane was moving I was thinking about Yute.
Six months later...
I'm still thinking about her. Anytime when I'm with her I'm having a great time and London was no exception. Sometimes I ponder where we will meet next. Wherever it will be... I'm sure it will be another great adventure.
